


Letters on a Subway Car

by TheAdorableTia



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018) Actor RPF
Genre: Actor!Ben, First Kiss, M/M, MeetCute, Strangers to Lovers, Subways, commuters, editor!Joe, passing notes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-19
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:14:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25984219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheAdorableTia/pseuds/TheAdorableTia
Summary: Joe and Ben are two commuters who see each other every day on the subway when one of them decides that the best way to pass the time on the train is to pass childish notes to the cute guy two seats down.
Relationships: Ben Hardy/Joe Mazzello
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	Letters on a Subway Car

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this! I really hope you enjoy this little story. Please leave comments below of what you thought of it! Also come scream at me on tumblr, my handle is the same as it is on here!

Joe wasn’t sure exactly when the guy first started riding on the same train as him. He just knew that for a while now he’s been seeing the same head of wavy blond hair, bright green eyes and beautifully full lips board the same subway car as he did at the same stop every morning. Joe couldn’t help but give stares and glances at the man every few moments as he wrote or read or checked social media to fill his time on the train. It only took a couple of days of this to notice that blondie was doing the same thing to him. He’d catch the man’s eyes looking at him, the contact breaking with a pink flush rising in the green eyed man’s cheeks. It made Joe smile whenever this happened, the embarrassed flush of getting caught on the guy’s face. 

Joe always disembarked before blondie did. Usually he would exit out of the door he happened to be closest to, but after the first time he saw the blush on the man he started purposefully going to whichever door would allow him to cross the man’s path. He never looked directly at him as he did this, but he could see from the corner of his eye that green eyes flicked up to him as he passed. This never ceased to make Joe smile as he exited the subway car.

After about two weeks of this little game of stealing glances and trying to catch him staring, Joe decided it was time to make a move. His stop was coming up soon, so he quickly pulled the notebook he carried with him out of his bag, and scribbled down a quick note in it before quietly tearing out the page when blondie wasn’t looking. He folded the note up into a square and hoisted his bag onto his shoulder when the announcement for his stop came over the speaker system. He moved past the blond man, and without looking, he dropped the note into his lap before continuing on off of the train car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ben was surprised when he felt something drop into his lap as the handsome redhead passed by him on his way off of the subway train. He looked up as he always did, but as usual he didn’t look down at him. He waited until the man had exited the car before looking down to see a folded piece of paper had landed in his lap. He picked up the little square and unfolded it to see that the stranger had written a note for him.

‘Dear Blondie,

If you keep staring at me like that, I’m going to start thinking you’re being a creeper. A cute creeper though :)

Sincerely,  
Joe (The dude from the subway)

A grin spreads across Ben’s face as he rereads the note before folding the paper back up and sticking it in the pocket of his jacket. The smile stayed for the entire rest of his commute.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next day, the blond man boarded the train the same way he did every day, but this time, there’s a small smile across his lips as he sits down in his usual spot. The man glances at him, and the pink blush rises on his high cheekbones once again before he turns down to look at his phone again. The same routine happened again, as always, and Joe was a little bit disappointed that the blond man didn’t approach him. His note must have not gone over as well as he had hoped it would. He did call the guy a creeper after all, so he couldn’t blame him.

When his stop came, Joe got up to exit but as he passed the blonde man he felt something tickle against his hand. His eyes flicked down to see that those green eyes were turned away, but the pink flush had come back to play. A piece of paper was brushing against his hand, and he took it silently before disembarking to the platform. He opened the note as the train started up and started to disappear down the pitch black tunnel.

‘Dear Joe,

I’m terribly sorry if my staring has made you uncomfortable, but do you not stare at the Mona Lisa when you see it in the Louvre? 

All the best,  
Blondie

P.s. I’m Ben btw ;) ‘

A giant grin spread across Joe’s face when he read the quite lame flirty line. His mind was already racing with what he might want to write next as he bounded up the steps to the street, smiling like a fool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It went on like that, day after day, passing notes every morning. One day Joe dropping one in Ben’s lap, and the next day Ben holding one up for Joe to take back from him. 

‘Dearest Ben,

You flatter me, I am but a humble man. I couldn’t help but notice what you were reading the other day. Orwell is a pretty heavy subject for reading on a subway don’t you think? In any case, it’s good to know some people out there are still expanding their minds. I hope you enjoyed the book.

Sincerely,

Joe (The guy who saw you reading)

‘Dear Joe,

I was only reading it because I thought it would look impressive. ;) Good to know that it worked. Really, I’d heard about it when some coworkers were talking about reading it in school and I guess my teachers never made us back then. I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Speaking of, what were you listening to yesterday? You seemed really into whatever was playing, and watching you try to contain your headbanging was a lot of fun haha.

All the best,  
Ben the Blondie’

‘Lovely Ben,

I had hoped that my enthusiasm was a little more subtle than it must have been. If you must know, I was listening to my pump up music. I like listening to it when I have a particularly hard day ahead of me. It’s filled with songs by Queen, mostly things that have a driving beat that gets my heart pumping. Liar, One Vision, Stone Cold Crazy, Headlong those kinds of songs. I really hope you like Queen, because if you don’t then we can’t be pen pals anymore.

Hoping you have good taste in music,

Joe (The guy who likes to headbang)’ 

‘Dearest Joe,

You would abandon me if I didn’t like one of the world’s most talented and iconic bands? Rude much? Haha. I have my own playlists like that too. I saw you writing something yesterday, what was that about? Already planning your next note?

All the best,  
Ben the Blondie

P.s My favorite song is White Queen, and I will die defending it.’

‘Inquisitive Ben,

I would drop you like yesterday’s newspaper, no doubt. It’s bold of you to assume that I plan anything that doesn’t involve getting on this train and seeing you. If you really must know, I was working on a screenplay. It’s what I do when I’m not working on editing other people’s writing. You wouldn’t believe the amount of authors who don’t even bother to use spellcheck. 

Worried about the state of literature,  
Joe (The guy who much prefers Somebody To Love)

‘Dearest Joe,

So you’re an editor? That sounds like fun. Actually, no it doesn’t. It sounds like a lot of tedious work. I much prefer my job. I’m working in an off broadway production. It’s going really well, I think. At least, most nights we have a fairly packed house. I don’t know how much of that is for the show or for the fact that one of the actors gets starkers halfway through the second act. Haha.

All the best,  
Ben the Blondie

P.s Somebody To Love is definitely top five’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joe and Ben found themselves looking at each other more and more during the ride on the train, even though both men stayed in their respective seats every morning. The notes became longer and more elaborate as the days went on, each man talking about their jobs and lives as if they were on some sort of extended date. At least, that was what it felt like. It made Joe laugh when he found out that Ben was the actor in question who was required to get naked on stage, and tried as he might he couldn’t get Ben to tell him the name of the production. Joe was sure a simple google search could give him the answer, but he respected Ben enough by that point to not poke around. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t endlessly tease him for it.

‘Lovely Ben,

I have to tell you that my boss now thinks I’m a raving lunatic because I was laughing so hard at the idea of you streaking across a stage every night. Sweet, shy Ben from the subway bare assed in front of hundreds of people (probably screaming women) every night. It brings so much joy to my day when I think about it.

Sincerely yours,  
Joe (the guy who really wants to see the play)’

‘Dearest Joseph,

Fuck off you wanker

Yours,  
Ben the Blondie’

‘Potty Mouth Ben,

That letter will be so wonderful to tell my dad about next time I see him. He gets a real kick out of seeing his son write old fashioned letters to a stranger. “Just like old times, keeping the art of letter writing alive.” I love being able to make him smile, and make these memories with him. It feels good to be able to do something for him, even as small as bringing a smile to his face when I can’t really do much else for him. I know my sister and my brother do what they can to help my mom, and I just wish that I could help share the burden more.

Hoping this letter wasn’t too much of a downer,  
Joe (The guy who probably overshared) 

Ben was heartbroken to learn that Joe’s dad was seriously ill, and the urge to console the redhead was strong. He didn’t approach Joe, though, not sure how it would seem for him to offer physical comfort. Not to mention that in all this time, the two men hadn’t even spoken a single word to each other. He had chuckled when he learned that Joe’s screenplay was all about his brother and how he didn’t get drafted into Major League Baseball. He’d jokingly asked the redhead if the movie ever got made, that he get an audition. Joe had merely responded by telling him that he’d never seen him act so he wouldn’t be able to give a good recommendation without it. 

Days turned into weeks. Notes were passed back and forth, and Ben noticed a new pattern emerge. With every paper that was dropped into his lap, his heart would skip a beat. It was more than just excitement about getting a note, and being able to respond to a friend. 

‘Dearest Joseph,

One of my coworkers found your last note in my hoodie pocket. It can get pretty cold backstage sometimes, so I loaned it to her to wear during rehearsal. I am now known as the weird guy who writes letters to a stranger on a subway around the theatre. Once she found it, there was nothing I could tell her that would make it seem any less odd, and actors are such horrible gossips that it spread like wildfire. So, thanks for that love. Haha. It’s ok though, your letters are the highlight of my days.

All the best,  
Ben the Blondie

P.s I hope that didn’t come off as too weird.’

‘Sweet Ben,

You are so adorable. It could be worse, you could be the weird guy who won’t stop gushing to his dad about the cute guy he writes letters to on the subway. That would be absolutely crazy. In any case, it’s not so strange. People only think it’s weird because it’s the digital age, the age of instant gratification. Just because two people connect, it doesn’t mean they have to jump in to each other’s pants right away or anything. Whatever happened to courting? To building up a friendship and wanting to know somebody for who they are before you decide that you’re in love with them? 

Thinking of you,  
Joe (the guy who has decided)

Ben felt his heart swell when he read the letter. Could this mean what he thought it did? Joe was possibly in love with him? A giddiness spread through him until he remembered that it was a Friday, and that he wouldn’t see Joe again until Monday morning. As great as it was to trade these letters back and forth the past few weeks, it also meant that the mornings that they shared on the train were the only times they saw each other. They hadn’t even traded mobile numbers, and Ben had decided for himself that it was time that changed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

‘Dearest Joseph,

Your argument does seem good, but there is something about being able to talk to someone whenever you want to. Haha. As much as I love these letters and the time it takes to write one is calming, sometimes I wish I could tell you my thoughts as I think them. Maybe over a cup of coffee?

All the best,  
Ben the Blondie

P.s 555-876-9012 in case you ever feel the same’

Ben’s heart was hammering in his chest as he read the note again while waiting on the platform. As the train approached, he folded the letter up and stuffed it into his hoodie pocket while taking deep breaths to calm himself. He hopped onto his usual car and his eyes immediately went to the spot where the handsome redhead usually sat. Joe wasn’t there. He looked around the car in confusion, thinking maybe he’d boarded the wrong one, but no. There was the same stain on the floor under where he always sat, and the same chip in the seat next to the spot Joe was usually in. This was definitely the right car.

Ben sat down in a slight daze. This was weird. He hoped that it was just a fluke, and that Joe had just missed it that morning. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a fluke. Joe wasn’t on the train the next day, or the day after that. It made Ben’s heart drop each morning when he looked for the ginger, only to see his spot empty. By day four of Joe’s absence, Ben’s disheartenment had turned into anxiety. Was Joe ok? Had he been in some sort of accident? Ben hoped Joe wasn’t lying in a hospital somewhere. It wasn’t like he could call around to check any of them. He didn’t even know Joe’s last name, which he now realized was fairly strange considering he was pretty sure he’d already fallen in love with the gorgeous man.

An entire week went by, and Ben’s anxiety had skyrocketed into the stratosphere, only to be replaced with a numbness on Sunday. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand getting on that train car, only to see Joe’s empty seat again.

Ben stood on the platform, barely registering what was going on around him. When his train rolled to a stop, he robotically moved forward onto the train car. It had become a habit to look for the other man, and he was fully expecting the seat to be empty again. This time though, the seat wasn’t empty. Joe was sitting there, as if he had never been gone. His face was turned down, looking at the floor of the subway car. As Ben moved forward, he saw that his hands were clutched into fists, his knuckles white. 

Instead of sitting down in his usual seat, Ben moved further down the train car until he stood directly in front of Joe. Joe’s face turned up when a pair of sneakers entered his vision and traveled up along Ben until he reached his face. Joe’s eyes were filled with all sorts of emotions that Ben saw flicker through them. Relief, apprehension, and grief all passed across them in rapid succession. In that moment, Ben knew that Joe’s absence had not been purposeful, and it hurt his heart to think that Joe felt bad about being away and not telling Ben about it.

Without a word, Ben lowered himself into the seat next to Joe, their shoulders and knees pressed along each other in a silent reassurance for both of them. They sat like that in full silence, basking in each other’s presence. When it came time for Joe to disembark, he looked over to Ben next to him to see that the blond man was holding up a folded letter for him just like always. This time though, Ben was looking right at him with a shy smile on his face. Their fingers brushed against each other when he took the paper and both men felt a small surge of electricity pass through them at the small contact.

Ben watched as Joe made his way off of the train, the man giving him backward glances every few steps before he disappeared onto the platform. Ben’s foot tapped restlessly against the chipped linoleum floor of the car until a few minutes later, his phone pinged with a message from an unknown number.

‘The Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park, today, 4 pm. Joe (the guy who wants to talk)’

Ben’s lips pulled into a small grin, and his heart lifted. Joe wanted to meet him outside of this train car. He’d even remembered that Ben had short rehearsals on Mondays, and no shows that day either. Now instead of his foot tapping with nervous energy, it was with anticipation for what was to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joe glanced at his watch, 3:55. His nerves had felt on edge for the last ten minutes. Ben hadn’t replied to his text, but Ben had seemed relieved to see Joe when he boarded the train this morning. The feel of him pressed to Joe’s side had been almost torture. He’d wanted so badly to pull the beautiful blond man into his arms in that moment. He couldn’t though. That wasn’t the time or place for it. He scanned the park, it was a Monday afternoon so there weren’t too many people around. After his second look around he saw a familiar head of golden blond hair approaching the bench he sat on. 

A small smile tugged on his lips and he stood up and brushed off his jacket. He felt a small giddiness mixed with nervousness as Ben’s clear green eyes came in to focus as he approached. His own nerves were calmed when he saw that Ben wore that familiar shy smile on his face.

Ben stopped when they were only a couple of feet apart. “Joseph.” Was all he said in greeting in a quiet voice, just above a whisper. Joe felt a shiver run through him. He had figured out that Ben was british through the notes. The way he spelled certain words and used certain slang had told him enough. The accent in that one word was enough to tell him he was right, and that he really enjoyed the sound.

“Blondie.” Joe said in return. They didn’t know who moved first, but the next second they were gripping tight to one another, Joe’s face buried against Ben’s shoulder, his hands fisted in the back of Ben’s hoodie. The blond’s face was buried in the ginger’s hair, and he noticed the sweet scent of whatever shampoo Joe used, faintly noting that it seemed right for the redhead. Ben was startled when he heard a faint sobbing coming from the vicinity of his shoulder and he pulled back so that he could look into Joe’s face. There were tears threatening to spill down Joe’s face, and without thinking, Ben reached up and ran his thumb under each of the man’s shining hazel eyes to help dispel them.

“What happened, Joe?” Ben already had an inkling about what had caused the redhead he was pretty sure he was in love with to disappear for a week. 

“My dad..” Joe’s voice broke in those two words. He swallowed thickly before continuing on, “My dad got a lot worse, very fast. I talked to him Friday night and on Sunday my mom called to say that he was.. he wasn’t going to make it much longer.” Ben reaches out to wipe away another tear from Joe’s cheek, only offering silence to allow the man to speak. “I left that afternoon. By Tuesday.. he.. he was gone.”

Ben pulled Joe back into him again, and ran his fingers through the man’s soft auburn locks. It was a gesture that felt so familiar to Ben, like he had always done it even though he’d never done it before. “I’m so sorry, love. I know how much he meant to you.”

Joe kept talking, his words slightly muffled by being pressed against Ben’s shoulder again. “And while it was all happening, I kept thinking ‘I wish I could see Ben. I wish he was here. He’d be a bright spot in all of this.’ I missed you. I didn’t just miss the letters, I missed seeing you every day, your beautiful eyes and your shy smile and the way your cheeks flushed when our eyes met. It made me realize that I didn’t want to go another day without seeing you.” 

Ben sighed, and held on tighter to the man. His heart was torn between grief for what Joe had suffered and the feeling of happiness knowing that he had been missed by the hazel-eyed man. “I missed you too, you know. I was worried about you. I didn’t know if you were even alive. I’d considered calling round to hospitals asking if there were any Joes there.” He let out a small, breathy laugh against the side of Joe’s head. “Silly of me to think it. I don’t even know your last name. Would have been really hard to find you.”

Joe sniffed, and let out his own small laugh before he lifted his head so he could look Ben in his mesmerizing green eyes. “It’s Mazzello. Joe Mazzello.”

Ben’s lips smiled wide, a blinding thing that made Joe’s heart stutter. “Ben Jones. It’s great to meet you Joe Mazzello.” His eyes flicked down to Joe’s well shaped lips and then back into those hazel eyes. “I know we just met, but.. Would it be weird to ask if I could kiss you?”

Joe let out a short burst of laughter. “No weirder than exchanging notes with a stranger on a subway.” He leaned forward, and pressed his lips to the blond’s. He was happy to feel Ben’s lips respond in kind.


End file.
